Meet Rick. When we began working together in November, Rick weighed 231 pounds.
He said, “I really just wanted to be able to go to the public pool and play with my boys without being embarrassed to take my shirt off.”
8 months later, Rick weighed 187 pounds. That’s 44 pounds of weight loss in 8 months.
Job done. And it’s only going to get better from here.
Now, Rick is a regular, busy family guy. There’s nothing secret about what we did, and the simplicity may actually surprise you.
Here are three things to know if you’d like to achieve similar results.
Three Keys to Rick’s Transformation
1. We Kept The Training Simple
First, the training routine was a four-day split, similar to the novice bodybuilding program from our Muscle and Strength Training Pyramid book that I have for free on the site.
I made the volume a little higher for his experience level, and I changed some of the exercises based on his equipment access and personal preferences.
Here’s Rick’s program. I didn’t need to change anything throughout:
Remember: Templates are a great starting point, but you’ll likely need to modify the exercise selection and training volume to match your training history, goals, and preferences.
2. We Tracked Calorie Intake and Weight, and Made Changes Only When Necessary
After the initial calorie and macro calculation, I only tweaked things three times.
- 7 weeks in, when it looked like progress stalled, I made a 200-calorie reduction.
- Four weeks later, it was clear that my first adjustment wasn’t necessary, as we were now losing weight too fast, so we increased his food intake.
- Finally, we adjusted his food six months in, when weight loss had stalled again.
Three adjustments in eight months may not seem like much, especially compared to how some other coaches operate. But this is because I only make adjustments when truly needed, not based on some arbitrary time frame.
Here’s my decision framework for knowing when and how to adjust calories and macros as you diet.
3. We Avoided The ‘All-or-Nothing’ Trap
This is arguably the most important. — Rick stayed consistent. When life threw stuff at him, he avoided the ‘all-or-nothing’ trap.
In the real world, we run into challenges all the time that threaten to derail our progress. Learning to stay the course and give your best effort, rather than throwing in the towel and giving up, is essential if you want results that last.
Rick did his best, didn’t give into excuses, and didn’t beat himself over a lack of perfection.
It’s exceptionally rare to work with a client who has zero stressors or challenges along the way, but this is okay. Consistency is what matters, not perfection.
So in summary:
- a simple program,
- a consistent calorie deficit, and
- a good attitude
…were the keys to Rick’s incredible transformation and this is what I recommend you focus on too.
What Rick Had To Say About The Coaching Experience
1) How do you feel about the coaching experience overall?
To say the time I spent working with you exceeded my expectations is an understatement.
In the beginning, I didn’t know if online coaching would work for me. Any attempt at losing weight I had previously tried in the past 10 years had failed. Either the program didn’t work, or I just could not keep up with the demands given my busy lifestyle.
As I began reading and studying your program content, I felt like I could relate a lot to what you were instructing me to do. I didn’t feel like you were asking too much of me when you would suggest a macro guideline.
As I followed your nutrition guides I began noticing results rather quickly! Seeing results, even small changes in my physique, were extremely motivating! The more motivated I became, the more I would dissect the program content, and then the results just kept coming! You know what you’re doing my friend! I am truly grateful that I was able to hire you as my coach!
2) What do you feel was the most valuable part or lesson learned?
Honestly, the constant reminders you gave about “not falling into the all or nothing mindset” is without a doubt the most valuable lesson I have learned. There were times when I didn’t meet my macro counts or make it to the gym 4 days out of the week. At the end of those weeks my results would be subpar. I would notice a decrease in my endurance gains at the gym, and my measurements would be worse than the previous week’s.
During those times you kept me from “jumping off the program cliff”, haha. The reminder to avoid the “all or nothing” mindset just reinforced to me that your program is a real lifestyle changer. Even with small setbacks or hiccups, getting back on track where I left off with the program would continue to deliver results.
3) Is there anything you feel I could do better, or you could suggest as an improvement?
Honestly, I’m so pleased with the results I’ve experienced from your coaching and guidance, I don’t think I would change anything about your program. I would just say keep up the good work my friend!
Again Andy, I can’t thank you enough for your guidance and for sharing your program with me over these past 6-8 months. You are definitely an asset to the fitness industry, and I will seek you out first when I need guidance in the future. Take care man!
Rick, thank you for choosing me to be your coach, and for being willing to share.
For anyone reading who may be interested in getting their own customized programming and guidance from one of our Ripped Body Coaches, head to our coaching page to learn more and see if you may be a good fit. 😊
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